eral
Rutherford and others.

In the meantime, Cornwallis, leaving Rawdon at Camden, marched with
the larger portion of his army to "rebellious" Charlotte, to forage
upon its farms, and to punish its inhabitants for their well-known
resistance to royal authority. He reached Charlotte on the 26th of
September, 1780, and during his stay of eighteen days, many scenes of
rapine, house burnings and plunderings took place in and around that
place. But the bold Whigs of Mecklenburg--the "hornets" of that
section--although unable to keep the open field, were vigilant and at
work, constantly popping the sentinels, and insolent dragoons of
Tarleton, sent out as scouts and on foraging excursions. Becoming
uneasy by these bold attacks of the rebels, frequently driving his
foraging parties within sight of his camp, Cornwallis, when he heard
of the defeat of Ferguson at King's Mountain, concentrated his army,
and, on the 14th of October, commenced his retrograde march towards
Winnsboro, S.C. During this march, the British army halted for the
night at Wilson's plantation, near Steele Creek. Cornwallis and
Tarleton occupied the house of Mrs. Wilson, requiring her to prepare a
meal for them as though they had been her friends. Cornwallis, in the
meantime, finding out that her husband and one of her sons were his
prisoners in the Camden jail, artfully attempted to enlist her in the
King's cause.

"Madam, said he, your husband and son, are my prisoners; the fortune
of war may soon place others of your sons--perhaps all your kinsmen,
in my power. Your sons are young, aspiring, and brave. In a good
cause, fighting for a generous and powerful king, such as George III.,
they might hope for rank, honor and wealth. If you could but induce
your husband and sons to leave the rebels, and take up arms for their
lawful sovereign, I would almost pledge myself that they shall have
rank and consideration in the British army. If you, madam, will pledge
yourself to induce them to do so, I will immediately order their
discharge."

To this artful appeal, Mrs. Wilson replied that "her husband and
children were indeed dear to her, and that she was willing to do
anything she thought right to promote their real and permanent
welfare; but, in this instance, they had embarked in the holy cause of
liberty; had fought and struggled for it during five years, never
faltering for a moment, while others had fled from the contest, and
yielded up their hopes at the